Beast Bite
by Blade of Justice
Summary: Miki Sayaka is your average girl. Her only real worries are worries of the heart... At least, until one day, when she encounters a monster called a Phantom that wants nothing more than to drive her to the depths of despair. Her only hope? A mysterious red haired girl with magic rings who claims to be a wizard.
1. Chapter 1

Sayaka had stopped paying attention to her teacher roughly an hour ago, give or take a few minutes. It wasn't that the material that was being gone over was too hard for her - for once, the girl probably would have been able to understand what was being said just fine (and if not, she could always ask Madoka for her notes later). Sure, she wasn't always the best or brightest student, but it wasn't like her to just up and stop paying attention.

Her mind was simply elsewhere.

Just one day ago, that afternoon at lunch, her close friend Hitomi had confronted her. Sayaka hadn't initially thought anything of it - they were friends and had been for years. Maybe Hitomi had just wanted to chastise Sayaka about always borrowing Madoka or Hitomi's notes? With a smile on her face, Sayaka had waved goodbye to Madoka and the rest of her classmates and followed Hitomi out of the classroom. She was surprised to find that Hitomi was leading her to a secluded part of the school, but Sayaka still paid it no mind. Why would she? This was Hitomi after all, sweet, caring, Hitomi.

"Unless you have any objections, I am going to visit Kamijou-kun tomorrow evening. I am going to confess to him."

It felt like time had stopped. Sayaka's blood ran cold in her veins, and her breath caught in her chest. Hitomi was serious about this. Sayaka's mind was reeling - what could she say? What could she do?

"All you have to do is say the word, and I won't say a thing. If you want to go rushing to him after school, then I won't stop you - in fact, I encourage it. But if you haven't visited him by tomorrow night, then I will."

Silence had hung over the two girls for a few minutes. Hitomi hadn't wanted to do this, truly she hadn't, but was it fair for her to sacrifice her own happiness when Sayaka was making no attempts to reach out for hers either? If Sayaka wouldn't make a move, then she would - but she knew that Sayaka had known him, cared for him, so much longer than she had. It was only fair that Sayaka had that chance for happiness first.

"H... Hahaha, what're you saying?" Sayaka's words stumbled out of her like a drunk out of a bar in the middle of the night. Ignoring her friend's frown, the blue haired girl forced a smile and looked away, running a hand through her short hair. "Why would I want to confess to Kyousuke? W-We're just friends, that's all! Hahaha, boy, Hitomi, you sure can kid around-"

"Sayaka-san..." Hitomi reached for her friend. She didn't want it to be like this, she could already feel the distance growing between them - but it was too late. Sayaka visibly flinched away from Hitomi's hand.

"Go ahead, confess to him! I bet you two will be happy together!" Turning, Sayaka raised a hand as if to say "farewell!" and began jogging back to the classroom alone, her eyes stinging with tears already.

... and that was that.

Why had she done that?

She should have slapped Hitomi, Sayaka thought. She should have yelled at her, maybe.

Sayaka was scared. She was scared of rejection. She was scared that she would lose Kyousuke for good. She wasn't blind - she knew that he was growing frustrated with her constant attempts to make him feel better. She knew that there were even times when she foolishly made things worse in her attempts. But what could she do? Stand by and let him feel miserable?

The bell rang. This signified the beginning of summer vacation.

Without waiting for Madoka, despite the fact that the two girls had had prior plans to walk home together, Sayaka quickly raised from her seat and darted out of the classroom.

She needed to get out of here. She had actually originally planned on going right to Kyousuke after walking Madoka home, but seeing the boy was the last thing she wanted to do right now.

Stepping onto the sidewalk outside of her school, Sayaka decided the arcade would be a good place to go. She had enough money for a few rounds of Dog Drug Reinforcement. Maybe that would make her feel better.

She brushed past a group of high school students that seemed to be heading in the opposite direction, hoping if she moved quickly she could get out of there before Madoka caught up to her. She couldn't face her best friend right now. Sayaka's face was trained downwards - perhaps if she had been looking even a little more skyward, she might have noticed the flash of red that emerged from the shadows.

The trek was made in silence. It was nothing out of the ordinary. It was hot, but that was to be expected. Some people were complaining to street vendors that their prices were too much, others were gossiping to their friends on the street, and others still were yelling into their phones about this or that. Sayaka found she could pick up a lot when she was by herself, and it was because of that that she began to realize something was off.

At first, Sayaka didn't feel anything, but as she continued down her usual route to the arcade, she felt more and more like she was being watched. Panic began to rise in her chest, so without warning, she darted down an alley - it was a detour she had discovered in her younger years when playing with Madoka and Kyousuke. Surely she could lose whoever was following her this way - if someone was following her at all.

But the feeling persisted. Sayaka darted back into the street and broke into a jog, but the feeling grew heavier and heavier.

The street was mostly empty, so Sayaka could quickly scan the area to see if anyone suspicious was there. Some businessmen, discussing some kind of work-related matters in loud voices. A red haired girl who looked about Sayaka's age, chewing on some kind of snack. A mother and her two children, one hand holding onto each of them protectively. A few high school students, one with raven hair talking loudly on his phone, oblivious to the world.

No one out of the ordinary. Letting out a sigh of relief, Sayaka turned back around and continued on her way to the arcade. Though she didn't peek behind her again, she still couldn't shake the feeling that she was being tailed - the arcade was close, and since summer break had just started, Sayaka figured if she was being followed for some reason, it would be crowded enough there that she could lose whoever was following her easily.

"I'm probably just being paranoid..." the blue haired girl murmured to herself. Shrugging, Sayaka decided that this whole Hitomi thing had just gotten her much too worked up and proceeded to the arcade, this time ignoring any nagging feelings that she was being watched or followed or tailed or anything like that. She had more important things to attend to - she had steam to blow off.

Unfortunately for Sayaka, the arcade had been even more crowded than she had anticipated. Students from all over Mitakihara had come to the place - which was to be expected, really. This was the biggest, most popular arcade in the city, and this was the first day of summer vacation. Of course it was going to be packed. Sayaka didn't want to get her hopes up that the DDR machine might be vacant, but despite herself, she was crossing her fingers as she made her way to the back of the building.

"Look at her go!"

"Amazing!"

"Me next, me next!"

Much to Sayaka's dismay, the DDR machine was being used - but not only that, it was being used by some red haired girl who seemed to be on a tremendous winning streak. On most days, Sayaka would have been eager for the challenge and jumped right up as soon as the redhead tossed aside her next victim, but today, Sayaka didn't want something that could frustrate her.

She stuffed her hands in her pockets and left the arcade, her disappointment so overwhelming that she nearly knocked over someone. As her luck would have it, instead of knocking him down, Sayaka practically ran into him, then bounced off of him and onto the floor.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't..." Sayaka's words caught in her throat as she looked into the boy's eyes. For a moment, Sayaka forgot how to breathe. She could only stare into his eyes, lost in them, and opened her mouth to say something... anything, but she couldn't find the words. All she could do was stare into those magnificent eyes...

The moment passed as quickly as it had come, though for Sayaka, it had felt like it had been an eternity. The boy smiled widely at her, reaching for her hand. Shyly, Sayaka took it, and he pulled her up. It was like something out of a shoujo manga! Was this... fate?!

"T-Thanks..."

"Don't mention it," Something in the back of Sayaka's mind bothered her about the boy. He was clearly a few years older than her, definitely in high school. She was sure she didn't know him, but at the same time, something seemed weirdly familiar about him.

Paying it no mind, Sayaka kicked her foot on the floor, wondering why he hadn't let go of her hand yet. Was this awkward, or was it something... more...?

"I hope this isn't going to sound too forward of me, but..."

Sayaka's eyes widened. No way! No way no way no way!

"Would you mind coming with me for a little bit?"

Gulping, Sayaka nodded quietly. The boy's smile seemed like it could melt anything, and for a brief moment, Sayaka thought "Kyousuke who?" as she let the boy take her away from the arcade, her cheeks stained bright pink. She was so distracted by this surprising turn of events that it didn't even register that a loud chorus of "awwwww maaaaan!"s had just erupted from the direction of the DDR machine.

They walked in silence, the black haired boy occasionally glancing back at Sayaka as he led her along, Sayaka in turn looking away shyly. What was she doing? Walking off to who knows where with some stranger?

It took her a moment to realize they had stopped. They were in an alleyway, and it was fairly quiet. Sayaka couldn't hear anything coming from the street, but for some strange, inexplicable reason, she felt so... so calm, being with this boy.

"I've been watching you, you know."

Sayaka's first reaction was to blush. Sure, she couldn't possibly accept this boy's feelings, but this was the exact kind of distraction she had needed - not to mention the perfect ego boost.

She looked at him in the eyes again.

Well... Maybe this was fate...

"I've been watching you for a long, long time, Miki Sayaka..."

"Y-You have...?" This was it! Sayaka's face was positively _burning_, and the expression must have been so ridiculously dopey that under any other circumstances she would have turned tail and fled so that no one would see it - but no matter what thoughts flitted through her mind, all she could do was bask in the mysterious boy's gaze.

He took a step forward. Sayaka found herself being pressed against a brick wall, and in the back of her mind, a small voice started screaming out in panic. This was bad! Run! Escape! Call the police! Call anyone, just get out of here!

But under his gaze, that smoldering gaze... Those thoughts were pushed aside. He raised a hand to cup her chin and Sayaka closed her eyes, leaning forward, for all the world ready to give herself to this boy she had just met.

"FOUND YA!"

Without a moment's warning, Sayaka found herself being abruptly shoved to the ground by the boy she had been mere seconds from kissing, the sound of metal hitting the ground snapping Sayaka out of whatever trance she had been in. The spell broken, her face paled. Just what had she been doing?! What was wrong with her?!

"Tch...!" The boy's attitude seemed to have changed drastically. His kind, handsome face had twisted into a snarl, and Sayaka was at a loss for what had happened - though she was incredibly thankful that they had been interrupted, that was for sure. "You should know your place, wizard!"

Looking before her, her mind rapidly trying to catch up with the events happening around her, Sayaka realized that there was now a strange saber embedded deep in the pavement where she and the boy had been standing only moments previously.

"That's _witch_ to you, Phantom!" Leaping down from the fire escape above Sayaka, a girl with a long, flowing mane of red hair landed in-between the blue haired girl and the boy, who was looking angrier and angrier. The girl ripped the saber out of the ground with ease, despite the fact that it had been clearly embedded in cement just a moment ago. Turning to Sayaka, the redhead nodded to herself, her expression unreadable. "Good. You're not dead yet."

"S-Stalker!" Sayaka proclaimed, suddenly recognizing the red hair from the street and the arcade - piecing her earlier declaration together with the fact that the girl had been everywhere Sayaka had been today. The redhead scowled, a single fang peeking out of lips, before she jabbed a thumb towards the cute guy (who coincidentally wasn't really looking cute anymore) that had totally just been about to confess to Sayaka before they had been so rudely interrupted.

"You dimwit. I wasn't talking about _you_..."

Then it clicked. Why it hadn't clicked sooner, Sayaka had no idea.

The boy who had taken her from the arcade had been outside her school. He'd been on that street, talking on his phone. And then he'd dragged her off into an abandoned alleyway...!?

What had she been thinking!?

The redhead grinned toothily upon seeing realization dawn on Sayaka's face, as if she had been waiting for it.

"Don't sweat it. That punk's name is Incubus. He's been giving cute Gates like you hell for weeks. But as you can see, I've finally caught up to him, and now..." The redhead turned back to the boy, who had been darting his eyes back and forth from the girl to the way he'd brought Sayaka. It was clear he was panicked. "So, are you gonna make me chase you across the country some more, or are we gonna finally settle this today?"

Pressing herself against the wall, Sayaka frantically looked from the girl who had - she began to realize - just saved her, to the high school student, who was seemingly having some kind of internal struggle with himself.

"You can always try for the Gate though. Maybe I won't stop you," Sayaka's blood chilled at these words. She didn't understand what a Gate was, except that she apparently was one, but from the way the girl was talking... She quickly began to realize her "savior" could be just as much a threat to her as the boy was. "That just makes two Phantoms for me instead of one. I was getting hungry anyway."

What happened next really was like something out of a manga - but this time, the genre was horror. The boy's body began to glow a sickening purple color, and then his face began to change - no, his whole body did. It grew and shrunk and changed and before Sayaka knew it, the boy had been replaced with a devlish looking monster.

"Aaa~aaah... And this one was so cute too..." The boy-turned-monster grumbled mournfully, casting a glance in Sayaka's direction. No longer was his gaze something that drew Sayaka in, instead, the blue haired girl cowered at the sight of the beast, realizing that something was horribly off and this might be the end of the road for her.

The redhead stepped in-between the monster's line of sight and Sayaka, causing Sayaka to look up at her. She clearly wasn't scared - in fact, if anything, the strange girl was looking more eager than anything. Just who was this girl?

"Unfortunately, I've got no plans of ending up like the last ones of my comrades who danced with you, sweetie, so I'm afraid I'll have to be leaving," the monster's voice was cool and confident, his words dripping with something... raw, something that Sayaka was too young to be able to quite place. "Maybe we can tango next time."

Erupting in sick laughter, the monster turned and jumped towards the wall above Sayaka and the redhead.

"You son of a-" The redhead swung her saber towards the monster, but it was too late. Her blade slashed nothing but air, and above her, the monster's feet hit the wall, and he kicked off - propelling himself towards the roof of the building across from him. The redhead, who seemed to have already forgotten Sayaka, waved her weapon angrily and ran towards the fire escape from which she had made her entrance to give chase. "Get back here!"

It took Sayaka a few minutes to finally stand, but eventually she did so, albeit somewhat shakily. Her earlier worries were completely forgotten, and all she could think about were the events that had just transpired before her. She had been followed, not only by some creep of a boy who had done... something to get her to in turn follow him, but by a crazy vigilante with a sword.

It was clear that the boy- no, the monster, had wanted something from her. If not for the girl who had come out of nowhere, Sayaka might be dead right now... But what did that mean for the girl? Could she seriously hold her own against... whatever that was? Or was she just running around playing superhero, in over her head?

Heading back to the street, Sayaka glanced back into the alleyway.

She really, really hoped that crazy redhead would be okay.


	2. Chapter 2

By the time Sayaka made it home, it was well past dinner time. Despite the fact that the monster and the girl were long gone (or so she hoped), Sayaka had been careful to walk extra slowly and pay attention to every single person arround her, just in case. She'd walked in the most open areas she could, and spared no effort in making sure she was surrounded by people at every possible instance.

If there was one thing she could take away from whatever had happened to her, it was that the monster that had dragged her away had wanted to do... whatever it had planned on doing alone. She could take some solace in that, and just pray that she would be safe at home.

Just as Sayaka arrived at her apartment complex, her phone rang. Glad for the distraction, Sayaka snapped it open and answered it without bothering to look at who was calling - if she had, she might have remembered what a certain friend of hers had told her was going to happen tonight. If she had, she might not have answered the phone.

"Hey, Sayaka? I- Jeez, this is embarassing..."

Her heart sunk. Memories of the previous afternoon's encounter with Hitomi came flooding back.

Oh no.

"K... Kyousuke? What's up?"

She laughed awkwardly. She knew what was up. She had been so caught up in the events that had transpired after school that she'd completely forgotten, completely lost any chance she'd had to make a move (not that she had planned on making one anyway), but now it all came rushing back to her, as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head.

"Well, ah... I wanted you to be the first person I told. Or is it 'we' now? Well, anyway, the thing is-"

Sayaka snapped her phone shut and stuffed it in her pocket. The feeling of hot, burning tears began to prickle the sides of her eyes. Rubbing frantically at them, Sayaka took a deep breath and took off blindly, forgetting completely about the monster, the redhead, about being followed- All she could think of was Kyousuke.

She just wanted to get away.

Incubus was a pretty lucky Phantom, if he did say so himself. He had successfully driven ten Gates to despair, transforming them into Phantoms just like himself, in the past six months alone. Not only that, but every last one of them had been a cute young girl. He licked his lips at the memories. Now they were cute Phantom girls, and every one of them was eternally grateful to him for assisting in their being released from their Gate.

After the last few, though... Someone had picked up on him. To be more precise, a wizard had figured out his taste in Gates. They had figured him out and had been following him for a while now. The past few Gates he'd targeted had all been saved, every time, by that little girl of a wizard. Now, Incubus' boss was starting to get more than a little frustrated with him. All his past successes would mean nothing if he couldn't bring more Phantoms in in the future.

So this time, Incubus knew, he had to make his last stand. He'd kill the wizard, drive the Gate to the depths of despair, and take home a new sweetheart to his harem of Phantom honeys. Maybe he could get a break from Gate hunting, if his luck pulled through.

Ditching the wizard had been fairly easy. He had been in the city trolling for Gates longer than she had been in it hunting for him. He knew his way around - and more than that, he knew his target's hangouts. Although this was the first time he'd approached her, he'd been following her for a little over two weeks now. He hadn't survived as a Phantom this long just by rushing in to drive his Gates to despair over the fear of death, oh no, Incubus got into their heads.

He loved watching girls break. He loved being the ones to shatter them into a million pieces. Even if he wasn't under orders, he'd probably be doing it anyway.

"Kamijou Kyousuke, huh...?" The Phantom, in his human form, grinned to himself as he stood outside the boy's hospital room. Dressed as a patient, he'd watched his target come here fairly regularly, and he'd already been formulating a few plans on how he could put the object of her affections to good use - but the thing was, he was just _so damn lucky_!

The little bastard had gone himself a girlfriend, and even better, the first thing he did was go and call Incubus' target to give her the good news. What a piece of work. Incubus couldn't help but laugh to himself, practically skipping down the hospital stairway. He looked at his cell phone gleefully - he'd captured a few pictures of the young couple's first precious few moments together. This would be perfect!

Was she crying right now? Was she in denial? Was she angry? Maybe she'd be rushing over here to confront him and confess herself? He shook his head. He'd picked up on the fact that this girl tended to deny herself like that, so that seemed pretty unlikely... Either way, this was going to be his easiest Gate yet!

Incubus slipped into the shadows as he left the hospital, making sure not to be seen by anyone. He had more than his share of experience in hiding and slipping through the cracks, and he wanted to finish everything tonight. The Gate, the wizard, everything. Perhaps, if he timed this right, he could have a Phantom ally to back him up for when he tracked down the wizard to finish her off.

But where would the girl go? She certainly wouldn't go home... She was the type that ran away from things that hurt her, and if Incubus knew anything about girls, this one would be hurting a _hell_ of a lot right now. Wracking his brain for where the blue haired girl might go, the Phantom leaned against a building to collect his thoughts.

"Got it!"

Incubus snapped his fingers. She'd wanted to blow off her stress at the arcade earlier today, what would stop her from heading back? If he was wrong, it was only a little time wasted, but with how his luck usually was, he'd be willing to bet that the girl would wind up there sooner or later...

Cackling into the moonlight, the Phantom resumed his movements and dashed off into the darkness.

* * *

Kyouko was angry at the Phantom for getting away - but more than that, she was angry with herself for losing him. She'd spent an hour chasing after that creepy ass stalker Phantom, only to lose him in the shopping district. She'd tried retracing her steps, hoping that the Gate she'd abandoned might still be around where she'd left the girl, but to no avail. The girl was gone, as was the monster. No more leads.

It wasn't just the fact that Kyouko had lost the Phantom, that now the Gate was in danger - Kyouko needed the Phantom.

The girl placed a hand on her belt. It was a strange looking belt, that looked more like the front of a cage than anything. As if on cue, as soon as she touched it, a voice spoke to her, a deep, ancient sounding, rumbling voice, with no shape or form, as if coming from somewhere deep inside her soul. It was a voice that Kyouko knew all too well - a voice that only she could hear.

"_If you don't get me mana soon..._"

Scowling, Kyouko removed her hand from her belt. She didn't need the Phantom to tell her twice - she knew well enough what would happen to her if the mana supply she'd been building up from all the Phantoms she'd eaten ran dry. The fact was, there'd been fewer Phantoms around these past few months. She'd never have to actually chase one so desparately like she was now when she'd first started out, but now...

"I know, Chimaera, I know..."

Kyouko sighed, staring up at the night sky absentmindedly. She knew that she was an abnormality - that there were "normal" wizards out there, who became that way by conquering their despair, by fighting back against all the odds and staring death in the face. Wizards that didn't need to kill to survive.

_The little girl smiled widely at her find. Ornate silver, in the shape of a door or a cage, with aged leather making a perfect circle from one side to the other. A set of sparkling, beautiful rings lay with it, all with fanciful designs on them._

Her? She had gotten this way by finding an old belt that had a Phantom locked inside of it.

_The little girl had rushed home with her newfound treasure, eager to show her family. She was certain that it had to be worth something. They would be fed for weeks with the money they would make off of the strange belt and rings, she was sure of it!_

Sometimes she wondered... If she had been a normal Gate, would she have been able to make it out alive? Would she have been able to conquer her despair and become a proper wizard, or would she have become like the many Phantoms Kyouko had wound up consuming in the past; a Gate that had falled prey to their own despair?

_The little girl screamed as someone kicked the door to their church in. A monster, in search of the belt she had found, had followed her... But it felt something in her father, and its priority changed. It began taunting him, regaling her father with stories of her father's failures - and then it threatened the little girl and the rest of her family... And that had been the end._

Kyouko recalled the face of her father, the man who she had considered one of a kind, her hero once upon a time, as it shattered like glass, giving way to the monster beneath... The monster that killed her mother and sister, all because he fell prey to weakness...

... Not that it mattered. With the that way she was now, all that mattered was finding Phantoms and eating them so Chimaera could be satisfied. If that meant letting a Gate or two fall into despair in the process... The jaded wizard would just have to let it happen. It was all about the survival of the fittest, right? If they couldn't work up the courage to overcome despair themselves, then she'd just finish off the Phantom they left behind. Seemed only fair, right?

Sometimes Kyouko wondered if her father would be ashamed of her, thinking like that. She had yet to actually let a Gate purposely fall into despair, but then... It was because he had been so kind, so soft, that he had given in so easily, wasn't it? It was because of that kindness, that weakness, that her family had been killed that night.

Were people like that worth saving?

She wondered what the Gate this time was like. Was she kind like that?

Kyouko quickly dismissed those thoughts. Knowing what kind of person the Gate was wasn't important. It never was.

Finally giving up on her search, the frustrated redhead decided to return to the arcade to vent her anger by taking it out on whatever unsuspecting chumps who would get in her way. Smirking at the thought, Kyouko withdrew a box of pocky from the depths of her jacket and popped a stick into her mouth, so caught up in her thoughts of tormenting poor students that should have been home studying that she nearly missed the sight of a blue haired girl standing across the street.

Grinning wolfishly, Kyouko pocketed her sweets and let herself meld into the crowd, making sure to keep her eyes trained on the girl. This was perfect. Sure, it figured that as soon as she stopped looking for them, one of them would just magically appear right in front of her, but she wasn't about to complain. All she had to do was tail the girl for a while and hopefully the Phantom would strike again. Tonight, if she was lucky.

Kyouko's grin faded slightly as she got closer and caught sight of the girl's expression.

"Not my problem," Kyouko told herself, looking away guiltily, like she had just seen something she shouldn't have. The Gates didn't matter - they were just means to an end. Phantoms came after Gates, Kyouko killed and consumed the Phantoms, and the Gates (if they were lucky) got to live another day. But it wasn't like Kyouko was doing what she did for the sake of the Gates or anything.

But...

Biting her lip, Kyouko looked back in the direction of the blue haired girl. Despite her reservations about this, the fact of the matter was if she didn't keep watching the girl, she'd lose her, which would mean her lead on the Phantom would be lost again.

But damn was that a sad, sad expression that girl wore.

"Tch. Probably just had a fight with her boyfriend or something," the redhead muttered. Most of the Gates that Incubus had targeted had been sweet, innocent little schoolgirls - people that only cared about themselves, and had never known any kind of real pain - the kind of people that Kyouko hated the most. Having to save their sorry asses just pissed her off. "Ah!"

The girl was on the move. It had looked like she had been coming to the arcade - which would have made things just peachy for Kyouko - but all of a sudden, she'd turned and started walking down the street.

Making sure she wasn't seen, Kyouko crossed the street and did her best not to lose track of the blue haired girl. Lucky for her, it seemed like she wasn't going far. In fact... Kyouko narrowed her eyes. The Phantom wasn't really that stupid, was he? If Kyouko's guess was right, he had probably just placed some kind of spell on the girl (this girl was really bad at resisting that kind of thing, huh?) and was leading her back to the same damn alley that they'd had their encounter in this afternoon.

Well, that made things infinitely easier for Kyouko, at least. She could put together a strategy while she tailed the girl - and if her guess was right, the Phantom was probably closeby as well.

From her experience with this guy so far, Kyouko knew that Incubus wasn't particularly strong, but he made up for it by being incredibly sneaky. He'd manipulate the minds and hearts of the Gates he went after (presumably like he was doing now), work them up and get them right where he wanted them... Then snap them like a twig!

Was there anything in that that she could use to her advantage? Unless she counted the "not particularly strong" part, Kyouko didn't think so...

"- Shit!"

Kyouko's eyes lit up as she saw the girl duck into a different alley - a much closer one! - than she'd been expecting. Shoot! She hadn't thought of anything yet! She pulled a ring out of her pocket, placing it to her belt (the belt's magical voice gave a cry of "**DRIVER ON!**" as it changed shape), and began to jog in the direction that the girl had vanished in - but before she could catch up completely, a dozen or so horned creatures burst out of the ground, all looking nasty and ready to block Kyouko off.

"Damn it- Ghouls, now?!" Incubus had been getting smarter. He'd never used small fry monsters like them before. Ignoring the people around her that were dashing off in fear, Kyouko swore. This was going south, and fast. Scowling, she pulled out another ring, placed it on her finger, and thrust her hand towards the sky, shouting out a cry as she thrust the magical ring into the corresponding place in her belt. "Transform!"

"**L! I! O! N! LION!**"

Kyouko closed her eyes as she felt the golden magic circle wash over her. Once it did, instead of a shabby looking girl stood a fierce looking warrior seemingly made of gold. Its helmet's design resembled that of a mighty lion, with bright green eyes and an open mouth, as if it was ready to let out a roar at any moment. On the warrior's shoulder was another lion's face, the body of which spread across the rest of her torso - the armor was completed with various pieces of black and gold all over.

The girl, now set for battle, clapped her hands together eagerly and grinned behind her mask.

"It's lunchtime!"


	3. Chapter 3

Sayaka felt funny. She knew she was supposed to be sad right now, but she couldn't really remember why. Actually, she felt kind of... good? Yeah yeah, she definitely felt kind of good.

She had been going to do... something...? Yeah, that's right. She had been going to do something at the... the place! That was it! She'd been going to do something at the place, and she'd been really upset for some reason, which was why she was going there, but then all of a sudden, she'd heard Kyousuke- No no, that's not right, she'd seen Kyousuke!

"Sayaka. I've been waiting for you," Sayaka knew she'd been staring — how could she not? There, standing before her, was Kamijou Kyousuke — in the pinnacle of health no less, despite the fact that he had no place being out of the hospital. The boy smiled at her and offered his arm — his perfectly healthy, non-injured arm. It was a miracle! "Would you come with me?"

"O... Of course..." She'd already forgotten why she'd been upset, but did it matter? _Kyousuke was here_. She smiled at him and gave him her hand — she would give him everything, wouldn't she? Yeah... Yeah, she would. She let him take her, not even caring where they were going. Anywhere was okay so long as it was with him.

She would follow him to the ends of the Earth or just to the end of the sidewalk if that was what he wanted from her.

Sayaka blinked. The sidewalk... That's right, she'd been on a sidewalk! Kyousuke had appeared to her when she'd been going somewhere to do something and she'd been going there while walking on the sidewalk... And... She felt like she was forgetting something important, but what was it...? And did it matter with Kyousuke here with her like this? Sayaka shook her head. It most certainly didn't!

She wasn't sure for how long she let Kyousuke lead her. It might have been hours, but it was probably only a few minutes. It felt like a dream to be able to walk hand in hand with Kyousuke down the street, without a care in the world.

But... Shouldn't she care...? Wasn't there something that she should care about right now...?

Eventually, Kyousuke led her down an alley. Something about this scene felt familiar, but... Kyousuke had never taken her to a place like this before, had he? Oh, he must have! Sayaka was just being forgetful because she was so happy right now, yes, that must be it.

But... How could she forget something she had done with Kyousuke...? That didn't make sense...

Sayaka frowned. Why was she thinking so hard like this when _Kyousuke_ was here...?

"We're almost there, Sayaka. Just a little more..."

Her frown faded away into a dreamy smile as his voice reached her ears. That's right. He was really here, and that was all that mattered right now. Wherever he was taking her, whatever he wanted to do with her, it was sure to be wonderful. She didn't mind at all that it was dark and past her curfew, because Kyousuke was here. Kyousuke understood those things. Kyousuke must know that whatever this is is so important that it's worth breaking curfew with her...

Sayaka giggled at first, but then... That nagging feeling arose again as she continued to be pulled down back alley after back alley by Kyousuke.

Hey, wait... That's not right... This isn't right... Kyousuke doesn't have curfews anymore... Because Kyousuke should... Kyousuke should be in the...!

Sayaka withdrew her hand — or attempted to, at least. To her surprise, Kyousuke's grip was stronger than she remembered it being. Kyousuke stopped walking — but not to let her go, apparently — and turned to her. Sayaka suddenly felt a pang of fear amidst the happy, dreamy feelings she'd been feeling. She tugged again, but this time Kyousuke pulled back. She found herself being pulled into Kyousuke's chest... She inhaled sharply and the dreamy feelings returned.

No, no, this isn't right! Something is wrong here!

She shook as Kyousuke held her, fighting a losing battle inside. She knew something was wrong, but... But that was okay... It was okay if it was wrong, because it was Kyousuke, and the world didn't matter if Kyousuke was there... But... But Kyousuke couldn't be here, could he...!? ... Since he was, though... Wasn't it okay...? Wasn't it? Wasn't it okay that he was with her instead of...!?

That's right. Kyousuke wouldn't want to be with her. He would want to be with someone else.

Shaking, she looked up at him, she finally looked at him, as if seeking confirmation or hope or a sign or _something_, and as soon as she saw the Kyousuke holding onto her, Sayaka froze.

He was smiling. This in itself wasn't abnormal, but... His smile was sick. It was a smile that shook Sayaka to her core and woke her up immediately. It was the smile of someone who was about to take a huge bite into their favorite food... It was the smile of someone who had just proven their teacher wrong in front of the entire class and was reveling in the feeling of superiority... It was the smile of someone who enjoyed the pain of others.

_It was the smile of someone who most definitely was not Kamijou Kyousuke._

As Sayaka's feelings and common sense and sense of logic rushed back to her, she felt afraid. She knew what was going on now. This was the monster from before, wasn't it? She had waltzed right into his hands, and she was probably moments away from her end... Her breathing grew staggered as she stared into the eyes of the monster that wore Kyousuke's face.

They both knew in that moment that Sayaka knew. They both knew in that moment, that painful, harsh moment, that there was absolutely nothing Sayaka could do to escape this time. And the monster was radiating confidence this time — he knew that there was no way that meddling wizard would interfere this time.

Miki Sayaka was going to die and give birth to a Phantom. Right here, right now. She would despair — she was already feeling it — and that would be the end of her.

The monster's lips curved upwards as he watched her face twist and turn, as he watched her tug to try to get away from him. It was a fruitless effort. Though he had appeared to her in the form of a sickly child, he was still a Phantom. He could still overpower her without so much as blinking.

Sayaka felt like her situation was hopeless. Her shoulders slumped and she let out a shaking breath.

The monster opened his mouth. This was only the first part of his plan, after all. He had yet to really break this girl. She was stronger than the usual girl, for sure, to be able to break out of his spell like this, but... It didn't matter. He would have his way with her soon enough. He had been well prepared for a moment alone with her, and that was all it would take to break her. The moment she gave into her the first feelings of despair — this very moment — was her end-

- And yet, there was something else going on in Sayaka's mind...

If she was going to die anyway...

She couldn't help but feel something else. Something much brighter than despair. Something much more righteous. Something much more fiery, that fought off the despair like it had never been there to begin with.

How _dare_ some disgusting monster use Kyousuke's face like that!? And when she was so upset!? It was disgusting! Did it have no shame!? Fine, if it was going to kill her or make her despair or whatever it wanted to do, then do it! But it should leave Kyousuke out of it! He had nothing to do with this!

Yeah... Yeah...!

Sayaka's gaze hardened, much to the surprise of her captor, and she looked at him — her eyes ablaze.

Sure, she was afraid... And sure, she felt like despairing... But more than that... More than that!

Sayaka was _angry_!

* * *

"Hah!" Kyouko swung her saber, eyes twinkling behind her mask as it ripped through one of the final Ghouls. She'd made quick work of the first half, rolling a six on her saber right away, but unfortunately the thing had to recharge before she could use its special attack again, leaving her to have to take out the small fry the old fashioned way. Not that she hated the old fashioned way or anything like that, but...

Kyouko was worried. That Gate had looked like she was a pants pissing moment from despairing already, and now Kyouko had no idea where the Gate had gotten off to. It would take a miracle for Kyouko to get there in time, Kyouko knew that much. It might already be too late — she might arrive just in time to witness that bastard Incubus inaugurating his new Phantom buddy...!

Kyouko grit her teeth and closed her eyes as the mana of the defeated Ghoul was sucked up into her belt. She could feel Chimaera feasting inside of her. Even if it was the mana of a weakling, mana was still mana. Every little bit mattered — every little bit meant Kyouko would live that much longer, meant that Chimaera had that much more satisfying him before he would turn his fangs on Kyouko.

Grinning wolfishly as thoughts of her eventual demise arose, Kyouko leapt into the air and stabbed one of the remaining Ghouls square in the chest. No matter how many battles she'd been through, in the end, she knew it would be Chimaera that would be the one to finish her off. She kicked at the Ghoul approaching her front her left and withdrew her sword from inside the Ghoul she had stabbed, already spinning to stab at another as its body dissolved into pure mana.

This life she lived... However long she had left to live it, she would make the best of it! And no matter what the cost, she would make sure no one else had to end up like her father!

Clenching her fist, Kyouko slammed it hard into the face of a Ghoul. She didn't give it time to react, slashing at it with her other hand — the one holding her blade. She tossed her saber into the air and jumped to the ground, spinning and kicking at the Ghouls surrounding her to give her some room. Pushing off the ground, she grabbed the saber and performed a sweeping slash, spinning as she did.

That was the last of them. Kyouko let out a breath as she was covered in a bright light — the light of a magic circle — and her belt consumed the mana of the Ghouls. She was no longer wearing her golden armor. It would be hard to move around and try to find the Gate if she was drawing attention to herself, after all — she'd learned that the hard way. She'd barely made it in time to save the little girl that time thanks to all the things that had gotten in her way, because she'd been so intent on staying transformed...

Kyouko shook her head. Yuma was fine now. She was off living a normal life a few towns over. Kyouko even visited her from time to time when she wasn't chasing Phantoms. The little girl even wanted to be Kyouko's apprentice someday — an impossible feat, since Kyouko had destroyed the Phantom inside the girl herself. That girl was completely normal now, much to Kyouko's secret relief.

She pinched the bridge of her nose as certain thoughts began to surface.

If only she'd realized the power of the belt she'd brought home that fateful night... If only she'd realized that she had had the power to stop that monster right in her little hands just a little sooner than she had!

These thoughts were ones that plagued her regularly, despite the fact that many years had passed since that night. How could they not? Her life would be so drastically different, after all, if she'd managed to just...

Kyouko grit her teeth. No. It didn't matter. She'd made the mistake of giving in to fear then, but that didn't matter now. She couldn't afford to make any more mistakes here and now. Not with lives on the line — her own included. She may have accepted that Chimaera would eat her up someday, but that didn't mean she planned on that day being any time soon... Hell, maybe she'd keep getting mana until the day she died naturally anyway. She had no idea.

As the last of the Ghouls' mana entered her belt, Kyouko clapped her hands together and declared "Delicious!" to no one in particular. She had never been one to be ungrateful for food, no matter what kind of food it was.

Kyouko rolled her neck around, enjoying the cracking noises it made, and surveyed the area around her. There wasn't anyone around now (the people that had been around had all escaped), but she didn't know how long that would last. She had to move fast — people usually (typically) came to investigate as soon as they figured it was safe to check out where the noises were coming from.

She withdrew a box of pocky from her jacket pocket and began to dash down the sidewalk, popping a stick into her mouth as she ran. Glancing down every alley she passed with an increasing worry in the pit of her stomach, she couldn't help but wonder... Would she be too late? Would she arrive just in time?

Biting into the treat into her mouth, Kyouko clenched her fists. It didn't matter one way or the other. She was going to devour that Phantom one way or the other, and that was that. If that dumb girl couldn't wait for her to show up... Then she'd just have to enjoy two meals instead of one tonight.

"Just you wait, you Phantom! It's time for the main course!"


End file.
